Time-indicating mechanism



A. DORSEY TIME INDICATING MECHANISM Sept. 30 1924. 1,510,139

Original Filed Feb. 25, 1922 .2 Sheets-Shet. 1

IN VENTOR 1 TTORNE Y6. I

Sept. 30 1924.

A. DORSEY TIME INDICATING MECHANISM Original Filed Feb. 23, 1922 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 llllal illllt ill]! HWW INVENTOR A TTORNE VS Patented Sept. 30, 1924;

UNITED STATES ARTHUR DORSEY, or HARTFORD, Connno'riour.

TIME-INDICATING MECHANISM.

Application filed; February 23', 1922, Serial No. 538,815.

stead of from a driving main spring. The

embodiment of the principle disclosed in said patent, while operative, hasnot been found to be advantageous in operation nor practical for purposes of production on a commercial scale. The general object of the present invention is to eliminate these practical deficiencies and provide a time indicating device which shall be efficient and invariable in operation, sightly in appearance and of such simple and inexpensive con structionas to lend itself readily to production on a commercial scale with clock WOIk' mechanism of conventional form.

In the construction proposed in said patent the. actuating mass is supported through the engagement of a pinion with a rack which the mechanism falls down, the center of weight, in designing, being arranged as near as possible to coincide with the point of contact of the pinion with the rack. The expense of so designing the falling mass as to insure the coincidence of the center of weight with this point of contact has proven to be prohibitive for commercial manufacture and the rotation of the pinion the mass fallsdown the rack causes a constant shifting of the center of weight and a tilting of the entire mechanism. This tilting has been resisted by a vertical guide pillar with which isengaged guide rollers, the friction of which is so appreciable as to tend to jam the mechanism in its 'movement and affect the accuracy of its indications.

Iii-accordance with the improved construc tion the fall-ing mass is supported. by a plurality of pinions engaging vertical racks, respectively, the mechanism being preferably so designed that where two racks are employed the center of weight will fall within: the vertical planeslocated by the points Renewed March 21', 1924.

of contact of these pinions with their respec-- extent the adverse influence of a shifting center of weight.

The improvements herein embody many other advantages which will appear more particularly herein-after as the description proceeds, but among which may be men'- tioned briefly the elimination of separate guide elements with their attendant expense and complication, the ready adaptation of the supporting devices to clock work mechanism of standard construction regardless of the location of the driving arbor therefor and the improvement in the artistic appearance of the entire mechanism.

Reference isnow to be had to the accompanying drawings for a detailed description of the preferred embodiment of the improvements in which: 1

Figure 1 is a view in front elevation of the improved: time indicatingmechanism.

Figure 2 is a detail view in vertical section through the weighted mechanism and taken on the plane indicated by the line 2-2 of Figure 1 and looking in the direction of the arrows, the clock case being shown in side elevation.

Figure 3 is a detail view in horizontal section through the mechanism shown. in Figure 2. and taken on the plane indicated by the broken line 3-3 of Figure 2 and looking. in the direction of the arrows, the clock case and mechanism being shown in plan.

Figure 1 is a detail view in rear elevation of the improved mechanism, parts being broken away in the interest of clearness.

Figure 5, is a schematic view indicating. the disposition. of the weight of the improved mechanism with respect to the supporting pinions therefor.

In the embodiment of the improved mechanism illustrated in the accompanying drawings the fallingmass comprises clock work. mechanism of conventional construction enclosed within a case a, a circular weighted ring 6 carried by the clock case and a weighted back plate 0 supported with? in the ring 6- and spaced. from the rear wall of'the clock case; The mass described isdesigned to fall down the vertical pillars 05 under therinfluence of gravity and at a rate determined by the usual escapement. The pillars (Z may be, of course, of ornamental configuration and are preferably spaced apart a distance determined approximately by the diameter of the clock case a; so that they may be loosely embraced by the weighted ring Z) and extend beyond the periphery thereof to insure the most artistic effects and yet; co-operate therewith for the purpose of steadying the weighted mass as will hereinafter appear. The supporting racks d for the weighted mass may be cut in the rear face of the pillars (Z adjacent to their proximate edges so as not to be normally presented to View and yet he in a plane parallel to the clock case a.

The problem is to support the moving mass so that it may fall freely down the pillars d without jamming and with the smallest possible degree of friction. But this end, it is understood, must be accomplished in commercially practical structures, with means which lend themselves to simple and inexpensive manufacture and assembling In known structures it has been sought to balance the falling mass so that its center of weight will coincide with the point of contact between a single pinion and its rack. The practical difliculties of securing any such relationship will be appreciated from a mere statement thereof' in the. improved construction it is proposed to provide at least two supporting elements which are separated from one another and where only two such elements are employed to so locate the center of weight of the mass so that it will fall within a vertical plane located by the points of rest of these two elements. More specifically it isproposed to support the falling mass on two pinions c which engage the respective racks The center ofweight of the falling mass falls within the vertical plane located by the points of contact of the pinions c with their respective racks cl. As the pinions e rotate the center of weight will have little tendency to shift but this tendency has no disadvantageous effects since the mass is suspended freely from the two points of support and will adapt itself under the influence of gravity to changes in the center of weight. It is preferred to provide sufficient clearance between the pillars cl and the falling mass to allow for such self-adjustment, although it is evident that anti-friction guide devices might be employed to resist positively any movement of the weighted mass about its points of rest, Figure 5 indicates clearly the manner in which the weighted mass is suspended, the center of weight being below the points of support afforded by the pinions e and disposed within the vertical plane located by such points,

represented, in Figure 5, by the plane of the paper.

The pinions e are secured on a horizontal shaft 7 journaled in brackets g secured to the rear face of the clock case a. The shaft f is geared operatively through a pinion f with a pinion it on. the main arbor h of the clock work mechanism. All of the parts described are readily applicable to any clock case of standard construction and may be quickly and conveniently applied thereto without re ard to the l'ocation of the arbor it. This is an important point since in known constructions the location of the arbor 7L necessarily determines the location of the supporting pinion for the falling mass and since its lccation in, standard constructions does not permit its advantageous use it has been found necessary to alter the standard construction and locate the arbor especially for this purpose. Further, the supporting devices described may be enclosed between the weighted back plate 0 and the rear wall of the clock case a. No theoretical limitation is placed on the spacing of the racks d by structural considera tions, although it is thought that the most pleasing appearance will be obtained by disposing the pillars (Z in some such relationship to the clock case as is illustrated.

Considering now the principle of suspension involved in the improved construction whereby efficient operation and facility in manufacture are insured, reference is to be had particularly to Figure 5. The supporting pinions c engage the rack teeth, it may be presumed, at single points of contact in the plane of the paper. The center of weight of the falling mass is arranged to fall within the plane located by these two points of contact (again the plane of the paper) and below the points of contact so that the effect is that of pendulously hung weight The location of the center of weight,

in this plane, considered from right to left is of no consequence and does not present any special problem in mamifacture. The only problem of balance that of from front to rear and this is not difficult and does not actually require the degree of nicety peculiav to known constructions. Since the racks (Z are parallel to. the face of the clock case a it is evident that as the pinoins e revolve under the influence of gravity and the control of the escapement any change in position of the center of weight will be very slight and from front to rear, the pendulously hung mass adjusting itself automatically to any such change of balance. Such a change of balance has notendency to jam the falling mass and, indeed, it may be desirable to permit a'free self-adjustment of the pendulously hung mass by providing ample clearance between it and the pillars cl. The downward pull of gravity on the mass will be constant under all conditions and invariable and accurate indication of time will be. insured. Any tendency to jam is eliminated by the improved means of support for the mass and the expensive and laborious problems of delicate adjustment are removed to a point where commercially practical devices are provided for production on a commercial scale and in association with a. clock case of conventional design.

Changes in design and in the number and arrangement of parts and the structural form of the elements may all be made without departing from the spirit of the invention provided the underlying principle of suspension is retained.

WVhat I claim is:

1. In combination with a gravity actuated time indicating mechanism, clock work mechanism adapted to fall under the in fluence of gravity and indicate the time, a rack on which the mechanism is supported disposed in a plane parallel to the face of the mechanism, and a pinion engaging the rack and connected operatively with the clock work mechanism.

2. A time indicating mechanism including a falling clock work actuated by gravity, a plurality of racks to support the falling mass, and pinions engaging the respective racks and operatively interconnected with one another and with the clock work.

3. A time indicating mechanism including a falling clock work actuated by gravity, a plurality of racks to support the falling mass, and pinions engaging the respective racks and operatively interconnected with one another and with the clock work, the center of weight of the falling mass being pendulously disposed below the points of contact of the pinions with the respective racks.

4. A time indicating mechanism including a falling clock work actuated by gravity, a plurality of racks to support the falling mass, and pinions engaging the respective racks and operatively interconnected with one another and with the clockwork, the center of weight of the falling mass being disposed in a plane of suspension located by the points of contact of the pinions with the respective racks.

5. A time indicating mechanism including a falling clock Work actuated by gravity,

two vertical racks to support the clock work in its falling movement, and pinions engaging the respective racks and positively interconnected with each other and with the clock work, the center of weight of the falling mass being disposed within the vertical plane located by the points of contact of said pinions with said racks.

6. A time indicating mechanism including a clock work actuated by gravity, two vertical pillars spaced apart and having racks parallel to the face of the clock work on which the latter is supported in its falling movement, a shaft mounted on the back of the clock work and carrying pinions engaging the respective racks, means to connect said shaft operatively with the clock work to control the rate of falling of the mass, and means to weight the clock work with the center of weight disposed within the-vertical plane located by the points of contact of said pinions with the respective racks. 7. Time indicating mechanism including a clock work, two vertical pillars having racks on their rear faces parallel to the face of the clock work, a weighted mass carried on the clock work and embracing it and cut out at the sides to receive the said pillars, pinions disposed between the weighted mass and the clock work and engaging the respective racks, and a shaft on which the pinions are carried, said shaft being operatively connected with the clock work to control the rate of falling, and the center of weight of said mass being below said pinions and in the vertical plane located by the point-s of contact of said pinions with the respective racks.

8. A time indicating mechanism including a weighted clock work, vertical racks parallel to the face of the clock work, spur pinions engaging the respective racks, a horizontal shaft carrying the pinions and extending transversely across the back of the clock work and on which the weighted mass is pendulously suspended with its center of weight in the vertical plane located by the points of contact of the pinions with the respective racks and means to connect said shaft operatively with the clock work.

This specification signed this 20th day of February A. D. 1922.

ARTHUR DORSEY. 

